Thanks to last week’s accidental mix up, we haven’t taken an in-depth look at any specific feature since the end of February. But don’t worry, we’re back on track now and decided to take a look at one of the features that works in conjunction with your back-up camera. Back-up cameras are now so commonplace they seem to be standard in almost every vehicle available on the market, and some of the exciting driver-assistive safety features available in systems like Toyota’s STAR Safety work hand in hand with said camera. For instance: Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which we’ll be taking a closer look at today.

What is Rear Cross Traffic Alert?

Rear Cross Traffic Alert is a system that gives you peace of mind when backing out of driveways, parking spots, alleys or anything else similar to these. You’ll already be using your back-up camera to get a better view behind you – though as usual we still recommend looking over your shoulders the old fashioned way as well, just in case. RCTA adds an extra layer to the safety, thus giving you that peace of mind we mentioned.

How does it do that? By utilizing the back-up camera and other sensors installed on the vehicle to watch for vehicles approaching from either the left or right. That way if you’re back out of your driveway and somebody is coming down the street, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert system will pick up on it. Then – you guessed it – it sends an alert, either visual, audible or sometimes both, on either the mirror or dashboard for the visual side. If it you get an alert, make sure to step on the brakes right away and check the old fashioned way again, making sure a vehicle isn’t coming from either direction behind you.

While it might not seem as huge as Automatic Emergency Braking or Forward Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert is definitely a life saver. Plus you can feel even more confident behind the wheel when performing mundane tasks like, well, like leaving home. If you’d like a more detailed and visual explanation of how RCTA works, be sure to watch Rick & Scout’s video below from MyCarDoesWhat.org. If you have any questions about the technology or what vehicles it’s available in, don’t hesitate to give us a call!